The last time I visited Madrid, was 5 years ago. I decided to go back, mostly because the airport is so close to Valencia... just kidding. I actually wanted to experience the capital of Spain better, then what I had remembered.

The first day, I arrived in a Blabla car and I was very lost. This city is really big and the metro system is .... even bigger! or at least, it seemed this way. I have been living in Spain for one month, so my Spanish is better than an average person, but still very basic. I went up to this one lady in the metro and just said... EL Centro??? ha-ha... Surprisingly she understood right away.

The center of Madrid is at "Sol" and it is the main area with lots of tourists, food, many, many shops and pickpocketers... so watch your stuff!

Photograph by Lauren Martin

The royal palace is so beautiful, I only walked around the outside this time... I received a tour 5 years ago.

Photograph by Lauren Martin

Photograph by Lauren Martin

Photograph by Lauren Martin

Photograph by Lauren Martin

You can see in the picture below, there is a beautiful Cathedral I also checked out... and MANY tourists.... This was only March, I couldn't imagine the lineup in the summer time.. So I avoided that area, even though its very beautiful beyond the gates.

Photograph by Lauren Martin

Photograph by Lauren Martin

Photograph by Lauren Martin

After exploring the beautiful palace, I met with my new friend Maria, and we checked out the Plaza De Toros. This is a very famous bull fighting ring. I have been told they only have one flight per year, because of animal rights issues... so therefore it has been banned in many cities across Spain.

Photograph by Lauren Martin

Maria, Photograph by Lauren Martin

I absolutely love being in parks, and I really wanted to check out this famous one in Retiro. It had a gorgeous fountain, gardens, and a huge roman monument with a small pond. People could rent boats and enjoy the views of this relaxing place.

Photograph by Lauren Martin

Photograph by Lauren Martin

Photograph by Lauren Martin

Photograph by Lauren Martin

Photograph by Lauren Martin

Then for my final tourist spot, I had to check out was the Egyptian Temple of Debod.